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Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

bbc.com

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Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#141

Post by rsnor »

squiggleblaz wrote: post #127
guessmyname wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> … but I was really REALLY hoping to snap my first name which was registered by a European person 10 years ago, has 0 followers, and has never posted. I created a Twitter account in 2012 and it was immediately put in “private mode” because I didn’t want to post anything; ±7 years later the account is still empty, no posts, no followers, nada. The only reason I created that account was to prevent cybersquatting over…

> Can you imagine if I release my Twitter account, after almost a decade of constant cultivation of my other professional profiles (GitHub, GitLab, LinkedIn, etc) and then someone starts posting malicious messages to make my username look bad? Oh no, you'll be just like everyone else under the sun who has to use different names in different places. You aren't special and no-one really cares.

> You aren’t special and no-one really cares.

Come on now.

If someone uses the same username in multiple places, and another site has a user with the same name, it’s easy to assume they are the same person. If there is a risk of impersonation or confusion with another account, it’s fair to try to protect your reputation by registering an account in that name and not posting, especially if you are well-known in some internet circles.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#142

Post by Moyamo »

emiliovesprini wrote: post #134

As far as I can tell, there are two systems for meaningful names (as opposed to "arbitrary" ones like phone numbers or 4chan IDs): 1. A first-come-first-serve system like Twitter. I'd list drawbacks but this comment section is full of them. 2. A lease system like domain names, whose drawbacks are best explained in this tweet by @devonzuegel: > Domain names really hold you hostage. As soon as you've shared a link > fr…

A refinement of (1) would be Harberger Taxes[0].

1. When a person registers a name they declare a price they are willing to sell the name for. They can update their price at any time.

2. They pay an annual tax (about 1% to 5%) for the right to keep the name.

3. If someone is willing to buy the name for the declared price they are forced to sell the name to them.

This system has the advantage that the person who values the name the most will get to keep it, and the person who lost the name will be fairly compensated.

[0] https://www.law.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/upload_documents... (See the bottom of page 39 in particular)

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#143

Post by StuffedParrot »

rsnor wrote: post #141
squiggleblaz wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can you imagine if I release my Twitter account, after almost a decade of constant cultivation of my other professional profiles (GitHub, GitLab, LinkedIn, etc) and then someone starts posting malicious messages to make my username look bad? Oh no, you'll be just like everyone else under the sun who has to use different names in different places. You aren't special and no-one really cares.

> You aren’t special and no-one really cares. Come on now. If someone uses the same username in multiple places, and another site has a user with the same name, it’s easy to assume they are the same person. If there is a risk of impersonation or confusion with another account, it’s fair to try to protect your reputation by registering an account in that name and not posting, especially if you are well-known in some i…

> it’s easy to assume they are the same person.

Easy, sure, but you’re probably wrong.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#144

Post by FeepingCreature »

Joe-Z wrote: post #131
FeepingCreature wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They literally said they referenced it on other sites.

Well if they literally said that, then I'm sure you can copy + paste said portion. Because even upon re-reading the comment, I can't find this statement.

Oh, you're right, I misunderstood the point where they said

> Can you imagine if I release my Twitter account, after almost a decade of constant cultivation of my other professional profiles (GitHub, GitLab, LinkedIn, etc) and then someone starts posting malicious messages to make my username look bad?

I thought they'd linked their Twitter account on their other professional profiles.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#145

Post by nindalf »

adambyrtek wrote: post #84
nindalf wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah yes, the Littlefinger approach. “What’s the worst reason someone could have for doing the things they do and acting they way they act?” Notice you still haven’t said how Twitter is supposed to do everything Facebook does but with 1/9th the number of employees. You and everyone else have directly assumed that Twitter has decides not to work on memorialisation because they are malicious or incompetent ... when it’s…

With product development it's not about having "enough people" to do everything, it's about having the right priorities and choosing what to focus on. We could discuss if this feature should have been prioritised or not, but claiming that Twitter is this little understaffed company that cannot be expected to implement something like that is a bit disingenuous.

You’ve misinterpreted what I said. I didn’t make a positive assertion that it was impossible for twitter to pick this up. I merely disagreed with the comparison with Facebook. The GP pointed out that Facebook could do it while Twitter couldn’t. I pointed out that sure, Facebook did it but they also have 9X the number of employees so it’s not a fair comparison.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#146

Post by munmaek »

rsnor wrote: post #141
squiggleblaz wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can you imagine if I release my Twitter account, after almost a decade of constant cultivation of my other professional profiles (GitHub, GitLab, LinkedIn, etc) and then someone starts posting malicious messages to make my username look bad? Oh no, you'll be just like everyone else under the sun who has to use different names in different places. You aren't special and no-one really cares.

> You aren’t special and no-one really cares. Come on now. If someone uses the same username in multiple places, and another site has a user with the same name, it’s easy to assume they are the same person. If there is a risk of impersonation or confusion with another account, it’s fair to try to protect your reputation by registering an account in that name and not posting, especially if you are well-known in some i…

> and another site has a user with the same name, it’s easy to assume they are the same person.

No, no it is not. Not at all... You are one of the lucky people who managed to get your chosen handle on those sites.

My preferred handle (givennamesurname) got registered in 2008 on twitter and hasn't done anything since (no tweets, no profile, etc).

On instagram, both (givennamesurname) and (givenname_surname) are taken, so I went with (surname_givenname).

The only real way to get around this is to just list your social media / accounts on your personal website. Then prove that you own it on keybase with gpg or whatever.

> it’s fair to try to protect your reputation by registering an account in that name and not posting,

If you stay on top of / are aware of every new service. I was 12 in 2008 and wasn't concerned about name squatting.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#147

Post by conston »

This is one major benefit of having a decentralized blockchain. You don't have one entity that can decide one day to shut your account down because they don't agree with you or your policies. I they is why I am really doing most of my social interactions on Keybase which is connected with stellar. Its like what telegram should be with super duper privacy and without all the S*amers.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#148

Post by simion314 »

Sendotsh wrote: post #15

I understand why some people are upset about it (Eg due to accounts of deceased people), but I was really REALLY hoping to snap my first name which was registered by a European person 10 years ago, has 0 followers, and has never posted. I definitely feel like they could compromise and at least delete those blatantly unused ones.

I don't post, why should someone like you take my account ? I did not post on FB in a long time either but I still want my account.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#149

Post by swebs »

TillE wrote: post #137
legohead wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what do you mean by meaningful? you can just allow people to choose whatever username they want, that's a system...that nobody seems to allow for whatever reason. people have the same names in real life and we've learned to deal with it. twitter already has a verified system to deal with imposters for high profile accounts where it would matter. blizzard (battlenet) lets you choose any username but tags on a number f…

That's a really messy system when you're a communications platform which revolves around the ability to @ people based on their username. On Twitter or a forum like this for example, unique usernames are probably essential, because the alternatives are too confusing.

That could just be a UI issue. On 4chan, you just click the post you're replying to and it will automatically fill in their post ID.

Re: Twitter account deletions on 'pause' after outcry

#150

Post by anticensor »

pmontra wrote: post #39

What they mean about GDPR compliance is a mistery. GDPR doesn't apply to deceased persons: Recital 27 > This Regulation does not apply to the personal data of deceased persons. > Member States may provide for rules regarding the processing of personal data of deceased persons. Each country has its own rules. This is a summary https://www.twobirds.com/en/in-focus/general-data-protection... However the tweets of a dece…

Easy problem: If heirs do not explicitly consent within 3 months of death, consider the consent retroactively revoked.
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